Well, I guess ALL of Major League Baseball released their schedule today, but the only team I am really concerned with was the Twins. There are two reasons that I really look forward to the schedule, and this year, it was given an added element.
First, I wanted to see who the Twins drew in interleague play. This season, with 15 teams in each league, there was a standardization to WHO they would be playing (National League East) but now, since there is an odd number of teams playing in every league, there is always going to be an interleague series. The question isn’t WHO the Twins are going to play in the National League, but rather WHEN. Their first interleague series is in March versus the Mets in Minneapolis on April 12th. They also play the Marlins at home in April, before hitting the road for their interleague activities late in May, going to Atlanta, followed by a trip to Milwaukee.
With the additional team in the AL, I was curious as to when the Twins would contend with that squad, the Houston Astros. The Twins won’t play the Astros until the 2nd day of August, a three game set at Target Field. The Twins go to Houston exactly a month later.
The second thing I always look forward to on the Twins schedule is who and where the Twins are playing on my birthday (Bert Blyleven’s birthday eve). I go to my birthday game, a tradition I started the year after I got out of school. I couldn’t make it to Toronto in year 1, of course, but I went to a home game vs the Royals, went to Chicago (where the game was postponed), went to a game versus the Mariners at the Dome, followed by trips to Anaheim, New York and Baltimore. If you hadn’t noticed, I haven’t ACTUALLY attended a game at an AL Central opponent since I started this tradition.
So where is the 2013 Birthday Game? The tradition continues, and I will be returning to Baltimore. It’s the Big 3-0 for me, so I am trying to get a large group out to Baltimore with me. Who wouldn’t want to spend early April in Baltimore?
I’m already looking forward to 2013. Feel free to join me in Baltimore.
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